Residents and volunteers around Nallurhalli Lake and ITPL Back Lake in east Bengaluru have sought stronger patrolling and sustained enforcement after littering, unauthorised idol immersion, damaged fencing and greywater inflow continued to affect the waterbodies. Bengaluru East City Corporation officials inspected ITPL Back Lake on Tuesday and imposed fines on some individuals for littering.
The complaints have come from residents of Nallurhalli and Pattandur Agrahara near Whitefield, who said volunteer-led cleaning drives were being undermined by inadequate security and limited follow-up from civic authorities. At Nallurhalli Lake, residents said unauthorised persons had immersed Ganesha idols. After complaints did not lead to action, volunteers removed the idols themselves.
“There is no proper patrolling. The plan is to deploy six home guards to guard the lake, but it has not yet been finalised,” said Shyam Padhi, a citizen volunteer working on waste management and lake-related issues around Whitefield. Padhi said he had conducted a cleanup drive at Nallurhalli Lake about two weeks ago, but waste had accumulated again.
Residents also alleged that bulk waste-handling agencies segregate waste on the roadside near the lake. They said some waste was left uncollected and burnt during the early hours. A damaged section of the lake fencing has reportedly allowed people to enter the compound, where residents said littering and open defecation had taken place.
The lake compound has also become a gathering place for drinkers after dusk, residents alleged. Empty beer bottles and cartons have been found inside the premises. The complaints point to a combination of access-control failures, irregular waste handling and the absence of regular monitoring, rather than a problem that can be addressed through occasional clean-up drives alone.
Residents raised a separate concern about ITPL Back Lake, where greywater from surrounding informal settlements and residences is entering the waterbody. Padhi said the lake had become filthy and a health hazard, with conditions favourable for mosquito breeding. He estimated that around 2,000 apartments around the lake were affected.
Residents said officials had told them that ITPL Back Lake remained undeveloped and that funds had not yet been cleared for fencing, park development and maintenance. The absence of completed protective infrastructure has left the lake vulnerable to waste dumping and unauthorised access, according to the complaints.
Bengaluru East City Corporation additional commissioner Snehal Lokhande said Ganesha idols would be cleared soon and that officials were addressing the issue across multiple lakes under the corporation’s jurisdiction. The civic body’s inspection and fines followed several complaints made over recent weeks. The proposed deployment of six home guards at Nallurhalli Lake has not yet been finalised, according to the report.
